Bleach - Towards a New Future - English Adaptation
by Romben
Summary: An alternate vision to the abrupt ending given to a memorable manga series that aims to complete a story that still had much to tell. The initial plot takes place before chapter 680 and will encase approximately a hundred chapters of more or less three pages each, trying to emulate a structure similar to Tite Kubo's weekly manga both in content and style.
1. Bleach 680' - Change the Future

**BLEACH 680': Change the Future**

His reiatsu flowed towards Yhwach, violently, advancing through Ichigo's body and taking part of himself with it. Within him there were no more voices eager to get out anymore, nor did the will to keep on fighting that in the past urged him to fight. Both his Quincy and his Hollow powers had been sucked out of his body by the firm grasp of Yhwach. There was nothing remaining. Just mere silence. A silence tainted by a white so pure it was desolating.

 _All was over. All was lost._

—¡HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Yhwach's bloodcurdling laughter marked the rhythm by which his black reiatsu flowed towards the sky, extending itself over the Wahrwelt, dying the sky with a black so absolute that it had already sullied the whiteness left in Ichigo's soul. Soon, the palace was being darkened as if a giant foot were looming over it, threatening descending and crushing any soul left standing without any sign of mercy. A few seconds later, the condensed mass of reiatsu had already brought the most absolute darkness over the Quincy domain.

Thousands of miles below, in Soul Society, the darkness covering the Royal Palace made itself visible, first as an insignificant black spot in the distance, then as a great moon covered in shadows.

 _So this is how the end begins._ With the desperate fight at ground level between Izuru Kira, the lieutenant of the third division and what was left of Sternritter X, no other gaze except for the one belonging to Sosuke Aizen is able to realize the magnitude of the danger threatening with changing the world. _They all are like ants. Unaware of anything beyond their faces, ignored everything that happens above them_. Around him, the few low-ranked Shinigamis that had survived the first two invasions fled the scene as they could while the X-Axis' beams of light undid their bodies like a hot knife cuts through butter. Aizen, immobilized and tied to his chair, was restrained to merely be witness of the inept steps taken by each combatant, with one of them driven by frenzy, throwing its light beams against everything that moved, and the other trying to apply its meager shikai ability to the numerous bird-like creatures before cancelling each strike to avoid being hit by the countless enemy's assaults. Tired of the landscape before him, the former captain redirected his attention towards the growing circle of blackness in the sky during the seconds previous to the clean impact that evaporated part of his chest and completely disintegrated his left arm. By the time he lowered his head to evaluate the results of X-Axis' attack, there was only pain. Pain… and freedom.

Back in the Royal Palace, Uryu Ishida lied on a red pool of his own blood, with a broken arm rendered useless and multiple internal injuries. Haschwald, on the other hand, remained unscathed, exempt from any kind of damage.

—So, you can still move —pronounced Yhwach's former heir while Ishida tried to recompose his Heilig Bogen with his other hand with little to no success.

—A while ago… you said… that I'm just like Kurosaki and the others? —Haschwald was surprised by the pitiful words of a being who should already be struggling to breathe, much less speak, and allowed him to continue talking while he retrieved his sword, preparing himself to give the final blow.

—Up until now… I've always… kept my composure, staying calm and poised… I'd always tried to weigh all my actions on those _scales_ you spoke of… —torrents of blood invaded Ishida's mouth, constantly interrupting his words pain while Haschwald remain unmoved, contemplating the deplorable situation before him.

—But… as foolish and ill-advised as Kurosaki's actions are… I just couldn't help but follow his lead. The thing with him is, once he gets it in his head to help someone, he just goes and does it… No questions asked.

The words reached Haschwald's mind as arrows against which he could not defend himself. The face of his friend, Bazz-B, came into his thoughts, impossible to erase. The face of his friend, his brother, dead by his own hands.

—Inoue's cut from the same cloth… as is Sado… and Kuchiki and Abarai… —Uryu's hands started to hold the weight of his own body. Little by little, step by step, Ishida was slowly getting up —And if in any way… I have started to resemble that motley crew, even in the slightest… It would bring me immense joy.

— _Joy_ … —the word echoed within the Sternritter's mind —Joy, you say? I was never talking about your feelings to begin with. What I've been trying to get at was this... All that time you've spent bonding together with them… has in no way benefited you in the slightest —In all the time you've been with them, can you honestly say that you have grown… developed to your fullest? Compared to all those years with them, that one, single moment where his majesty granted your power gave you far more growth than they ever could.

The gelid words uttered by Haschwald combined themselves with the coldness caused by blood loss. That man standing before Ishida was unable to understand the bonds connecting people, friendship. All he was able to see came from his lord, his master. The path to power had led him to the loss of everything that made him humane. After a pause, he continued his speech.

—If being a comrade means to be there for those that have genuinely helped you grow, then the one you should be risking your life for is not them… but his majesty.

—You said… —Ishida interrupted him —that the scale is filled with your decisions. Well, my decision… was to be with them… but it wasn't to extract anything, gain an advantage or anything of that sort. It wasn't right…. And it wasn't wrong. I simply chose to do it… because they're my friends.

Those last words triggered at last a response from Haschwald. Those ideals had not even the slightest logic in that world ruled by power in which he had spent his life. Ishida did not expect him to understand his views either, yet at last he had managed to alter that immutable face of his, now overflowing with profound hatred.

—I see… I finally see now. So when you were so graciously accepted and taken in by his majesty then you did so without ever expecting to give up anything on your end. Unnacceptable —he muttered while he raised his sword to take his opponent's life —I'm here to tell you… You shall now give him your life!

Ishida saw the descending sword and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, in the Royal Chamber, Yhwach proceeded to uplift what was left of Kurosaki Ichigo with the exact same hand with which he had brutally torn part of the soul of his _son born in the shadows_ to enjoy the pure and absolute despair that had expelled any will to fight from his body. With a malicious smile, he approached Kurosaki's face and began to whisper in his ear:

—Are you seeing this, Ichigo? The end of the world that you so desperately try to protect. Despair now, for soon enough you will have no time to do so when I finish spreading my will throughout the world.

Not receiving any answer, Yhwach grew tired of his new toy and threw him aside with despise while he kept emitting reiatsu in order to expand his influence over the skies.

—Kurosaki-kun —yelled Inoue while she hurried herself to get near Ichigo, who laid still on the Royal Chamber's devastated grounds.

—I see. Looks like that young lady is eager to die alongside you rather than surviving a few more hours in fear. So it be. For you, Ichigo, I have an exceptional finale. I want you to be witness of your own failure; of the blood of your friends escaping their bodies while I take their lives, but her… —said Yhwach raising his hand—. For her there is no future. She can be the first one to bleed.

Shadows answered Yhwach's call, seizing Inoue's feet and starting to engulf her in blackness. The more she tried to reach a blank-faced Ichigo, the more the shadows tightened their grip while they kept swallowing her. Slowly, and causing an excruciating pain on their victim, those tendrils of blackness kept ascending through the young girl's body, imprisoning her body within a terrifying reiatsu far more dense and powerful than her frail body could stand. The first scream of pain finally reached Ichigo through his trance, tearing his ears, reactivating his will.

—How shall it be then, Ichigo? Shall she die by my reiatsu, or shall she withstand it only to be crumpled up beyond recognition as a ripe fruit after being completely swallowed by it? —Yhwach threatened with a smile —. You only have to mutter it, and I will give your friend a quick and merciful death.

Faster than Yhwach would have expected, Ichigo stood up again over his feet and picked up the remains of Tensa Zangetsu, only to thrown himself against his enemy once more.

 _One last try. I only need one more hit. One more hit._

However, right before he reached his target, one more tendril appeared from the shadows, grasping his heel and violently throwing Ichigo dozens of meters back into the palace rubble. Yhwach then decided to slowly approach his tortured victim, step by step, laughing with the opening of countless eyes throughout the blackness of his own body.

—Good, good. I see that you want to play a few more minutes. Unfortunately for you, I think that this sword of you —he boasted while he raised his arm to exhibit the two halves that in the past composed Tensa Zangetsu — differs.

By the time Ichigo was able to reincorporate himself and place his gaze upon his own zanpakuto, it completely vanished from Yhwach's hand, becoming dust spread by the wind. Ichigo reacted falling on his knees, ready to surrender once more while Orihime Inoue's screams muffled the laughter of the only enemy that had been able of destroying him both from inside and out.

 _All is lost._

An imperceptible sound, a blade cutting through the air, a sandal impacting Ichigo's nape. The screams cease, the laughter is abruptly interrupted, black reiatsu loses its shape. Ichigo raises his head only to see his father severing the hand imprisoning her partner with his own zanpakuto at the same time that Yhwach lost ground and stepped back, profoundly alarmed by what had just took place.

—Well… a little bird told me that certain someone had something to do with my dear wife's death.

Yhwach no longer smiled.

—By the way, I think I lost one of my sandals on my way.

Below, Uryu opened his eyes seeking an answer to the sound of Haschwald's claymore crumbling into a thousand of fragments before the astounded gaze of his master. Without further time to react, the Elite Quincy noticed an arrow sliding next to his leg, passing through without actually reaching him. Just before he took a step back to reevaluate the situation, his own leg violently dragged him towards the direction taken by the past projectile, impacting one after another against the wall behind them.

—I never thought that my son could be so careless.

 _With renewed strength, both fathers resume the fight…_

4


	2. Bleach 681' - Corrupted Purity, Cleansed

**BLEACH 681': Corrupted Purity, Cleansed Evil**

Below the sky bathing in darkness, the ultimate embodiment of all that is impossible, Gerard Valkyrie, remained in a position of unnatural stillness, facing Gotei Thirteen's two youngest captains. His eyes, now covered beneath a recently shaped reishi helmet fused to his armor, were fixed on the duo with a lifeless gaze.

—At least we are no longer subject to his verbosity —Byakuya mocked the new shape taken by his adversary with a tone as gelid as usual, yet that still transmitted a warmth unusual to his persona.

—That I could consider a miracle —answered the grown version of Toshiro Hitsugaya between gasping noises, visibly drained as a result of a prolonged use of his bankai in a so extended fight—. Any further plans under that sleeve, Kuchiki?

Before Byakuya could even articulate an answer, a dim turbulence came from the rubble below Sternritter M and, with a thunderous noise, Zaraki Kenpachi rose as a meteor, wielding Nozarashi with his only arm left, seeking the colossus' head in a bloody outburst.

—Fucking die already!

—Zaraki, stop! —but the words pronounced by Toshiro Hitsugaya didn't reach their destination. Gerard reacted with supernatural reflexes and hit Zaraki with the back of his hand, banishing him from the devastated section of the Wahrwelt with a single strike and condemning him to a guaranteed death preceded by the free fall of the indescribable distance between the abyss separating the Royal Palace and Soul Society.

—Well, I wouldn't say that we are at our very best… Not at all —In front of the surprised eyes of both captains, Hirako Shinji reemerged from beneath the rubble, still disoriented—. And that black thingy in the sky is surely not good for us either.

—Hirako! You're awake!

—Yes, yes. No need to remind me. It hurts enough already. Momo-chan is also fine. Don't worry, boy —Shinji contemplated with curiosity the new appearance of his fellow captain, as if hallucinating due to the bruise on his forehead—. I left her back there before I came here, resting with your lieutenant. But this is not the time to worry about that. On the other hand, our gargantuous friend may require a little bit more of attention.

—We have tried everything, but nothing seems to work against that thing —uttered Hitsugaya before Byakuya's silence, who had already dissipated his bankai in order to save some strength for the never-ending battle.

—Tch, tch. This is not the time to despair, Captain Hitsugaya. I may have thought of something while I rested my eyes back there. That thing is a Quincy, right? —asked Shinji with a confident smile, watching Toshiro nodding with subtlety—. But I need you to bring him to my level. Unless we manage that, I'm not s…

Without any warning, a humongous explosion blasted the Sternritter's face, brutally engulfing it in blazing flames and stunning him enough to cause the monster to fall on his back onto the battered ground and originating a small earthquake that forced the Shinigamis to retreat and look for cover due to the immense shockwave. Suddenly, the sunlight was visible again through a hole in the sky, and in the distance one could discern the recognizable figures of lieutenants Marechiyo Omaeda and Shuhei Hisagi barely holding the body of Soi Fon from Jakuhō Raikōben's recoil.

Together with the trio, or better said, surrounding them, a white-colored cloud mumbled muffled words whose echo reflected a warmth yet spiritless voice:

—I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to fully heal… —mumbled the voice of Isane Kotetsu right before her already subdued tone were abruptly interrupted by Soi Fon's strident orders:

—What are you waiting for?! Finish him already!

—Well, that was convenient. Unexpected… but convenient. Thank you, Captain Soi Fon —added Shinji before traversing the battlefield via Shunpo so as to reach the giant's head, placing his feet over the upper segment of the monster's chest plate. Once the heavy cloud of smoke dissipated, the damage caused by Jakuhō Raikōben was rendered visible. With a grimace, Shinji observed how the helmet that previously covered Gerard's features had been peeled like a rotten banana around his head, while the place that beforehand presented his face had been substituted by charred bone partially enveloped by scorched, blackened flesh that was already trying to reorganize itself into a new face. Luckily, the lack of such vital organs as a couple of functioning eyes prevented the Quincy from using his senses so as to react to the insignificant presence that, in front of him, released his shikai and introduced it within the orifice that within a few seconds would be replaced by a throat, then by a mouth. Finally, with a crooked smile, Shinji spoke:

—Now, do me a favor and take a deep breath. Bankai. Ōfuku Undō Sakanade.

After an explosion of golden gas, Shinji quickly stepped back with his zanpakuto now fully released, similar to its previous shikai state, but with a duplicated blade added to a second steel ring twin to the one following Sakanade's pommel. Already from a safe distance, the Vizard Captain started to spin both blades in opposed circles while Gerard fought against the viscous cloud adhered to his face.

—After its rite, Ōfuku Undō Sakanade connects, reverts and exchanges every element defining those individuals who breathe its gas, including me in this case, although it is not something that I'd usually do. However, the occasion deserves it, don't ya think? —Gerard continued struggling against an intangible enemy, to Shinji's disappointment—. Hey, you dumb, idiotic giant! Are you listening to me? We're connected now!

Finally reacting to his enemy's voice thanks to a fresh set of eardrums, Gerard launched himself towards the source of noise, failing miserably and further devastating the area with his enormous size right after Shinji used his Shunpo to leave the area without ceasing the hypnotic spinning of both blades.

—I don't even know if you understand my words, you ugly bastard, but I guess I don't care about it that much either. We have a few seconds to kill and I've got nothing better to do.

Receiving new stimulus, Gerard reacted once more and threw a kick from the distance that quickly travelled through the ground surface to hit the terrain with an incredible strength. This time, however, Shinji limited himself to sigh and jump with an evident disinterest on Gerard's aimless rage. Pieces of different buildings were flying around him in all directions while the other two captains attentively observed the pathetic yet frightening scene from a safe distance.

—Thank you for confirming the existence of a pair of ears in that big head of yours —Shinji, still ascending, mocked his enemy with disdain—. I imagine that both you and your peers already know that, for a Shinigami to become a captain, one must… you know, become proficient in the use of a bankai, for example. What you may not know —he said right before he started descending from his jump, his bankai still spinning —is that after that bastard Aizen gave us the Hollow treatment, most of us Vizards lost the capability of releasing our blades as our inner Hollows became one with our zanpakuto spirits. In a way, we were… tainted. Yes, that'd be the word. We lost part of ourselves and, as a result, we also lost our right to stand as captains of the Gotei Thirteen.

When he stepped into the giant's left shin, he instantly reacted with violence and threw his leg against a nearby building, which disappeared in a thunderous pandemonium of dust and rubble right after Shinji vanished from the scene. Once the giant was completely swallowed by the cloud of resulting dust, the captain resumed his speech:

—After the battle at Karakura, which I imagine you were already aware of, Kisuke Urahara ensured that Rose, Kensei and I could retake our previous ranks, more so after considering the lack of captains left by Aizen and co. Hence, he reversed the process that deprived us of our respective bankais. Basically, he suppressed any kind of Hollow reiatsu production from within our bodies.

Gerard tackled the new source of that annoying voice to silence it, but instead he smashed his fist against a different building once again. Little by little, and exasperated by reiterated failures, the Schutzstaffel began to erect himself to focus.

—Nevertheless, that was never intended to be a permanent solution. Despite being separate from Sakanade, the Hollow was still present within me, chained, waiting. So, after your first incursion I decided to pay him a visit. To make a deal with the devil, you know, for reconciliation's sake, but perhaps also for our recently acquired info confirming that Hollow reiatsu was, somehow, poisonous to you, Quincies. Do you see where I'm going with this?

Already standing over his feet, exhibiting his unnatural height, Valkyrie had already got rid of Ōfuku Undō Sakanade's cloud of gas, and a new reishi helmet was about to conceal the renewed face of the giant. Without altering his stance at all, he spread his gargantuous Vollstandig wings anew, ready to throw himself one last time against that elusive ant at a speed that he would never be able to react to. As a reply, Ōfuku Undō Sakanade's blades superposed one another once they adopted the same vertical position in front of his master, who then proceeded to close his fist between the rings connected to both blades while with his other hand, he prepared himself to recreate his mask one last time.

—Unfortunately for you, Quincies, he's back. Gyaku!

When silence finally reigned over the area, the two blades became one, marking the end of the bankai's ceremony, and Shinji's face became completely covered by his Hollow mask. Both figures, as differentiated in size as they could ever be, remained impassible one in front of the other for a few eternity-lasting seconds. All of a sudden, a heartrending howl shook the ground when opposed reiatsus clashed within their hosts' bodies. With both Quincy and Hollow reiatsu flowing within his anatomy, Gerard bent, shaken by an unbearable pain, clawing his own hands on his head as he flapped his wings and shook the nearby Wahrwelt buildings with their movements. Shortly, Gerard's helmet cracked once more when an enormous Hollow mask began to violently take shape from beneath it, covering his desperate face. In the opposite direction, Shinji made a grimace caused by the pain of a couple of reishi wings springing from his back, just before both beings fell on their knees with the exact same movement, with blood dropping from their mouths as a result of the internal struggle storming their insides. With his last ounces of strength, the Vizard muttered a few last words before falling unconscious to the pain:

—It's done… Now it's up to you…

The next scream that came from Gerard's throat, distorted by his own hollowfication, shook the entire Wahrwelt, throwing away Shinji's body as a leaf tore from its tree by the wind. The other two captains, quickly reacting to that daunting vision, jumped swiftly to aid their partner and friend, ignoring their own exhaustion while they advanced against the sonic tide caused by a now tainted Sternritter. However, when they found themselves a few feet away from their target, one last shockwave preceded an abrupt silence after Gerard's mask cracked right before his body collapsed in an implosion of compressed reiatsu that swept the entire grounds of the Royal Palace, pushing the three captains hundreds of feet away.

At a safe distance, the vaporous cluster covering both the captain and lieutenant of the Second Division as well as the Squad 8 lieutenant condensed itself into its sealed state. With Itegumo sheathed, Isane Kotetsu, along with the remaining Shinigamis, began her march towards the smoking crater that previously had harbored such an intense battle against The Miracle.

 _The miracle reverts itself, crushed between a reiatsu clash…_


	3. Bleach 682' - With Unrelenting Will

**BLEACH 682': With Unrelenting Will**

Away from the havoc wreaked by the last member of the Quincy Elite, in the middle of the battered Wahrwelt, Haschwald reincorporated himself within the Royal Palace's pure white rooms, once again holding his Freund Schild while he allowed it to absorb all damaged inflicted by the recent impact. With the distorted screams of pain coming from his hollowfied ally flooding the entire palace, Haschwald serenely began his march, step by step, towards to two last members of the Ishida lineage, towards the traitors.

Without altering the expression on his face in the slightest, he redirects his attention to the grip of his broken claymore, still on his hand, and whose blade had been previously shattered by the projectile shot by Ryuken Ishida. Neglecting his guard for a few seconds, the Quincy began to emit a vibrant, pure reishi that shorty assumed the shape of his lost edge, returning the weapon to its user, who immediately used his new asset to threateningly point it towards his new opponent.

—Looks like rats unite themselves in the face of adversity —he mentioned with contempt—. To utilize and manipulate the Ransotengai along with your Heiligen Pfeile to trap an enemy… Indubitably, that is a milestone earnestly worthy of praise, Ryuken Ishida. Perhaps choosing your offspring instead of you was, after all, a waste of resources.

—I believe having repeated in several occasions that I have no personal interest in Quincies and their trivial encounters with the Shinigamis, but I am not planning on allowing my son to follow the steps of the relic from the past that is Yhwach, even if that means retaking the mantle I disowned so long ago.

—A pity seeing how the last Echt Quincy chooses extinction over survival by remaining in the wrong side of this war, but it is already too late to back down.

Facing the threat emitted by the last enemy soldier standing, Ryuken forged and prepared his silver bow from thin air, ready to respond to an imminent attack.

—Uryu… It is time for you to take cover.

At the same time, hundreds of feet up above, Yhwach stepped back, still surprised by Isshin Kurosaki's entrance. The blackness engulfed him in a warm mantle of darkness that moved with its own will, with an infinity of eyes focusing on the former captain of the tenth division who, by answering with a carefree smirk, stood between his astounded son and the monstrous Quincy emperor.

—Judging by your Sternritter's shrieks I wouldn't dare to say that they are at the top of their game right now.

—You were a fool, Isshin Kurosaki. You should have severed head from body with your first assault —pronounced Yhwach with his lost hand coming out from the shadows. The loss of my troops at this stage means nothing. Any opportunity you had in the past was gone the moment you stood in front of my eyesight.

—Ryuken warned me about you with his old man's tales. It seems he wasn't exaggerating in the slightest about your Almighty. It is not as if I was expecting that decapitation would do the job for good, either.

—Hahaha —the pure white of his smile contrasted yet again with the blackness enveloping him—. Then you admit it… Your presence here is futile. None of your abilities has anything that could ever harm me, much less end my life.

Without abandoning his confident smirk, Isshin unsheathed his blade and answered the monstrous being in front of him:

—That remains to be seen.

Back at the base of the palace, a reduced group of Shinigamis traversed the crater that a few seconds ago held the immense mass accumulated by Gerard Valkyrie, cutting through the smoke with their silhouettes as they scanned the area for any reiatsu signs coming from the comrades swallowed in the previous explosion. At the vanguard, Soi Fon visibly restrained the speed of her movements, trying to hide the expression of pain caused by the injuries inflicted by Lille Barro. Among all the Shinigamis left behind, she was the only captain, and for her to be considered one of the weakest links along with her useless lieutenant did nothing but mine her pride to a greater extent. Marechiyo Omaeda, on the other hand, knew that it would be better to keep his mouth shut on the matter, foreseeing the more than possible repercussions of his words.

A few feet ahead, still misshapen by smoke, and approximately ten feet above the Shinigamis' current position, what was left of a captain's haori was hanging from a small projection in the rubble, as a torn flag symbolizing a grave affront to the Gotei 13. After surpassing the small obstacle, the Shinigamis were staggered by the sight of Byakuya Kuchiki checking the body of Shinji Hirako, the shredded haori's owner, for vital signs. A few feet away, a newly undeveloped Toshiro Hitsugaya reincorporated himself as he held the rags of his Quincy uniform, which still clang to his small build.

—Are you okay? Is captain Hirako alive? —exclaimed Shuhei, not being able to restrain his nervousness, to which Byakuya immediately replied:

—Lieutenant Kotetsu, please assist captain Hirako without further delay.

The lieutenant reacted before the head of the Kuchiki family finished giving his orders, releasing her zanpakuto, Itegumo, once more. Instantly, two lesser edges splintered from Kotetsu's original blade at an angle of 45 degrees. From the compartments situated in each of the angles, located at the sword's guard, two cerulean frozen clouds joined each other to rapidly cover the Vizard, generating a dim layer of frost that covered all of his wounds, thereby starting the treatment. With Itegumo slowing down the blood and reiatsu flow within Shinji's body, Isane started to conjure a spell that she singlehandedly combined with her shikai, changing its color to a invigorative green while her reiatsu invaded both the internal and external injuries presented by her patient, gradually healing and closing them beneath the thin layer of ice that prevented blood loss.

—Certainly, that is an admirable combination of your abilities. I'm sure captain Unohana would be proud of you.

Despite his noble intentions, Hisagi's words did nothing but accentuate the pain caused by the loss of her late friend and master. Through tears, Isane forced herself to articulate an answer:

—Thank you, but my Kaido cannot be compared to captain Unohana's.

Without a moment of respite for the group, Isane noticed how the air gave way to a smoldering heat as she saw a large reishi spear passing right through her right cheek only to finally disturb the imperturbable expression of tranquility that occupied the face of the sixth division captain when it cleanly traversed through his left side.

—It's not over yet! Focus! —ordered Soi Fon turning back before any other Shinigami, now visibly distressed by the vision before her.

To the Shinigamis' amazement, a stumbling humanoid figure rose up from the middle of the crater, advancing with determination among the smoking rubble. Once more did Gerard Valkyrie rise from the cradle of his own destruction, still with fragments of a Hollow mask detaching themselves from his damaged semblance and his reishi armor trying to hide his exposed flesh like a parasite feeding on his skin. On his chest, partially sheltered by a bruised hand, stood out a Quincy Zeichen, pulsating as the very warrior's heart as it cleansed the Hollow blight within his body.

—Do you think you can poison God's servant? His very emissary? Time to face the consequences, Shinigamis!

—Not this again… Anything but hearing that voice again… —grumbled Hitsugaya—. I already miss his mute self.

At the same time that Hitsugaya released his shikai one last time, already presenting evidenced signs of exhaustion, Soi Fon, urged by her own impotence, ignored her own wounds to charge ahead against the Quincy. Similarly, Hisagi tried to follow the captain, leading his steps towards the enemy's flank while reciting the spell for Bakudo 62. Finally, back in the rear, Omaeda remained unable to react while Isane forwarded one of Itegumo's clouds towards the head of the Kuchiki family, who still refused to fall on his knees.

The first one to make contact with Gerard was Soi Fon, who immediately marked his right shoulder with Suzumebachi. However, before she could even extract her sting to deal the final blow for Nigeki Kessatsu's sentence, The Miracle effortlessly kicked her out of the scene. Consecutively, Hisagi's Hyappo Rankan impacted his left side with results similar to those of hail impacting on solid steel.

—Are those your last resources? Sticks and insects?

—Chire, Senbonzakura.

The first stream of petals hit the Quincy's face, forcing him to shut his mouth close; the second one reached his stomach with the strength of a drill, but the effect of an insect hitting a concrete wall.

Without even bothering to contain it, Gerard emitted a massive laughter that flooded the battlefield, filling the hearts of his enemies with dread. In the distance, a visible wounded Byakuya gathered the will to launch a final assault, orchestrating Senbonzakura with one hand while he covered his frozen wound with the other. With his right arm facing the imminent threat, the Schutzstaffel bursted in an even louder laughter when the zanpakuto's sharp edges dissipated after reaching the palm of his hand.

Ignoring his surroundings, the minuscule blades of Senbonzakura began to whirl around Gerard, drowning his voice and losing part of their characteristic pink tone to give rise to a crystal blue once they acquired a faster speed and completely covered the Quincy.

—Hanabira Fubuki —pronounced both captains of the sixth and tenth divisions, pointing their respective zanpakutos towards the enemy.

Progressively, the small hurricane turned solid, and eventually a rosy icicle took the place that previously belonged to Gerard Valkyrie. Before that apparition, Byakuya collapsed and fell down, surrendering his body to Isane Kotetsu's healing arts.

However, despite the Shinigamis' best efforts, the ice cracked, taking away any hope for respite and serving as an omen of what was about to take place. The sudden and chilling sound of cracks covering a mass of boiling reiatsu gave everyone time to raise their guards, yet none of them expected the subsequent explosion that spread the icy mass in a radius of several hundreds of feet, riddling several Shinigamis with ice shards in the process and piercing Toshiro Hitsugaya with his own attack.

In the epicenter, Gerard stood impassible, stronger, and greater.

 _Unable to take on the king's heart, the morale begins to crumble…_


	4. Bleach 683' - Heated Omen

**BLEACH 683': Heated Omen**

Facing the monster who had usurped God's throne, Isshin Kurosaki stood firm, wearing his old captain's haori and wielding his zanpakuto with determination, completely conscious of the power difference separating himself from his enemy, but decided to transform his smile into a shield against darkness.

—Hey, grampa Quincy. Would you let me a few seconds alone with my son to scold him for his hot-headedness?

—A futile request. Ichigo was learning a last and painful lesson before completely giving in to despair. You coming here to die does nothing but prolonging his suffering. Fine job as a parent, I must admit —gloated Yhwach.

—Oi, If I want to set a good example for my children I shouldn't let you do that —Engetsu was already pointed at its opponent with a threatening pose that nonetheless did not emanate any kind of aggressive instinct—. I mean… the part about me dying. After all, I already know your weaknesses.

—Hahaha. Such arrogance at this stage…. —Yhwach's myriad of eyes opened and closed simultaneously, menacingly fixed on the former captain as an answer to his rather imprudent statement—. I have already witnessed your past, present and future, and nothing you have within your reach would be able to cause me the slightest inconvenience.

—Ohhh, you think so? I know that after you put your eyes on me your Almighty became able of exerting its influence on my future. I know you're aware of all my techniques, strategies and abilities, and I know you could tear my bankai into pieces even before I could use it, but there is something you definitely didn't take into account.

—And that is…? —before Yhwach could wholly articulate his inquiry, his own reiatsu, including that which used to cover the sky, began to slither back into the former captain of the tenth division. Suddenly, the sunlight timidly reappeared from darkness and bathed both opponents, each clothed by their own mantle of darkness.

—Impossible! That was not in m…

—Moero, Engetsu.

And black flames engulfed Yhwach's blind eyes.

Several hundreds of feet below the emperor's chambers, in one of the eternal suspended hallways that constituted part of the Wahrwelt's palace, the battle against the golems guarding the entrance to the king's domain unraveled.

—Are you ready, big guy? —yelled a bruised Ganju Shiba while he traced a circle on the floor with his hand. On the front, Chad contained the third group of stone giants that tried to advance through the narrow hallway. The fight had already been long enough, yet for each giant defeated two other figures took its place in a matter of seconds. As an impassible guardian, the young Fullbringer held back the rocky hordes, gradually eliminating the golems awaiting for their chance to tackle the young human one by one. Patiently, Chad recurred to both of his unnatural arms to take advantage of every chance the giants gave him by delivering decisive blows able to take one or more of those monsters out of the game with each movement.

—Do it now!

—Renkan Seppa Sen!

With the youngest member of the Shiba family's shout, the floor beneath the automata's feet turned into sand, and the slabs conforming the Quincy palace flowed and slided into nothingness, severing and melting part of the hallway to leave most of the giants in free fall towards the abyss. The last of them, after losing its head at the hands of Chad's El Directo, managed to grab one of his executioner's lower limbs in a last effort to escape its fate, rendering his victim unable to take the step back that would save him from suffering the same fate as his enemies.

—Big guy! —Ganju hurried himself to save his comrade, yet all efforts were rendered hopeless. The palace's floor was already abused enough to withstand the combined weight of both giants, who disappeared in silence. Ganju cursed his own weakness, and for the first time he gazed at the giants on the other side of the severed hallway, now unable to reach him. Two of them were already reconstructing their bodies from their fallen peers' remains, as if the rock forming their bodies were nothing but clay.

—Aaaaahaahahaha! You damned stupid puppets! Now what, huh?

As a retort for such a provocation, one of the golems threw its spear from the other side of the hallway, slightly scratching Ganju's shoulder, who jumped back in fear and finally fell on his back against the floor. It was in that moment when he realized that the spear seemed to move with life of its own. When he stood back up, Ganju saw how the giants had begun to shape their bodies to create new slabs and rebuild the lost foothold.

—Fuck, I was saving it up for later, but I only have one last resort for you. To think I will have to use it on you… Such a damn waste…

Ganju kneeled and took off his jacket, leaving several gadgets that looked like different components of a greater device on sight. A fuse, several cartridges, steel tubes… The youngest Shiba proceeded to assemble his new toy while the giants dedicated their inert efforts on slowly rebuilding the platform. Once again a spear landed next to Ganju, but he decided to ignore it. _I will only have one last chance._ In less than a minute that resembled several hours, Ganju raised what looked like a small cannon with an ornamented muzzle shaped after the face of a Chinese dragon, then ignited its fuse at the same time that the first giant jumped to his side of the hallway. Heading a new wave of stone soldiers, this pioneer advanced slowly but surely towards its last target, ready to impale him with its spear. Ganju stepped aside in the last second to avoid such a fateful way to perish, then kicked the giant's stomach before it could even redirect the spear's trajectory. Immediately, the fiend's torso turned into to dust, separating the monster in two halves that loudly fell on the floor, allowing Ganju to see the horrible vision of a stone army in front of him, with most of its members already crossing the living bridge.

 _Now!_

Finally, the dragon's mouth emitted a roaring fire that swallowed the tunnel with a barrage of fire and ashes that gave rise to a rain of projectiles which charged against the giants leading the cold march. At the moment these clashed against the stone, they opened with a spark and gave birth to a new and blazing rain of steel shards that pierced the giants and flooded the hallway with fire and shrapnel. When the echo that ensued the succession of explosions was eventually silenced, and the smoke had already covered the totality of the tunnel, the sound of a hundred fuses igniting altogether served as an ominous foreteller of what about to happen next when, suddenly, each of the steel shards blew up in a thousand pieces, shattering both living and lifeless stone as mere glass.

Once the fire found a way out of that hell, and all that was left was the sound of rubble settling in, Ganju cautiously left his cover, witnessing in amazement the landscape sculpted by his sister's creation, the Sannen Sanshoo. Beneath the smoke, most of the stone giants had completely disappeared, and instead several ruined limbs populated the tattered surface of the hallway. Those which still stood on their feet remained motionless, partially disassembled and with little more than smoke where solid stone previously supported their bodies. Many of them crumbled away when they tried to regain movement, while others were desperately shaking their bodies on the floor, looking for their lost bodies.

Ganju sighed and leant on the wall, then fell on the floor. Observing the scene, he noticed how the series of explosions had created an even greater opening in the middle of the hallway, which now resembled a severed artery in the insides of an enormous alien body. It was then when he noticed the blackness partially covering the sky. _Was it night already? No, that was impossible…_

Without any previous warning, an unbearable pain invaded Ganju's body when a stone hand grasped his ankle only to then completely crush it. As he screamed in pain, a new giant rose up from the rubble, reconstructing itself from the jumble that before was its kin. Along both sides of the hallway, arms and legs converged, kneading new masses of grabble around which new stone bodies clustered in agony. The new army of automata was preparing itself once more, ready to march one last time and protect their king.

—Dontcha know when to give up? Gimme a fucking break!

Several floors below him, apparently unscathed but for a few scratches, Chad reincorporated himself, raising a noticeable cloud of dust among the hallway's debris that recently supported both his weight and his enemies'. Trying to locate his new position to return to the fight as soon as possible, Chad saw the rubble shuddering. The stone automata were reclaiming their lives yet again. Chad was tired. Perceptibly tired.

Preparing both his arms to resume the fight, the young Fullbringer was surprised when a cluster of energy shook the ground over which he stood, disintegrating most of the grabble supporting his figure along with the once imposing stone giants' remains.

—See!? Told ya it'd work!

A few dozen feet away, a wounded Ikkaku Madarame was holding with a strong grip both of Hanataro Yamada's arms while the latter, with a pitiful expression on his face and puffy eyes, held his minuscule and now smoking zanpakuto, Hisagomaru, now pointing at the recently flattened soil. Chad could not believe his eyes.

Back at the top, Ganju used his Seppa once more to free his now useless leg, turning the golem's wrist into little more than fine sandstone, and then proceeded to seek his way out of that grotesque vision. Unfortunately, the giant with an iron grasp had no intention of letting his prey escape and, right after it raised its body and stood on a renewed leg, it began to approach its victim without giving its body the time necessary to completely rebuild itself. That damaged and incomplete figure that advanced through brusque and twisted steps did nothing but increase the unsettling aspect presented by that otherworldly appearance, to which Ganju could not respond with anything but a last bunch of fireworks that were rendered completely useless against his pursuer's disturbing semblance. Finally, a misshapen shadow loomed over its target. There was nothing else, no other bag of tricks to which Ganju could resort to in order to miraculously make his escape one last time. There was nothing beyond that white light that approached both beings from the other side of the tunnel.

 _With a light at the end of the tunnel comes hope…_


End file.
